DIY Clay Planter

May 8, 2015

Wondering what you get that special lady in your life for Mother’s Day!? How about making a little something that is handmade, literally… a DIY Clay Planter to be exact! I have been in love with succulents, cactus and anything botanical for inside the home. Bringing life to your decor is easy with a few pretty plants, but lets not stop there because with a fun, cool, or minimalistic pot, your plant becomes a statement piece too.

DIY Clay Planter

This natural modeling clay was purchased from the dollar store and I ended up using one of these blocks for my little planter.Step 1: Form clay into a ball and smooth out any air pockets. Step 2: Once your ball of clay is formed, begin by rolling on any surface to flatten and compact the sides. Use your thumbs and press into the center to create the hole where the plant will be placed. Step 3: Smooth out the walls of the clay. *Make sure your walls are thick before beginning to slice the outside of the planter. Jack loved playing with this stuff!Step 4: Using a flat knife, begin to cut the sides of your planter. This is where you form the geometric sides. I began by slicing a few larger sections and then added a few smaller walls afterwards.Step 5: Use the side of the knife to flatten the surface of your planter. This is a tedious step, so sit outside and enjoy the sun while you sculpt your planter. * I found that as the clay begun to harden after a few hours, it became a little easier to carve and detail the sides/edges. Step 6: After the clay planter has had a day or so to air dry, its time to paint or add that special touch. I was very indecisive with what I wanted to do with this guy colour wise. I knew I wanted to do half natural and half paint which I had planned to spray with some copper stray paint. I forgot the paint at my parents so that idea went out the door. While searching through our junk cupboard, I came across some chocolate easter eggs and I remembered my brilliant idea from easter long ago of re-using the gold foil for a gold leaf project. *Alightbulb went off in my head…Step 7: Using painters tape, tape off the area you plan to paint or gold leaf. Carefully peel the tin foil off the chocolate egg, flatten and rip small pieces. I dipped my finger in mod podge and covered the reverse side and placed onto the planter. Step 8: Once the mod podge is dry, take an exacto knife and carefully slice the edge of the painters tape- this will give you a nice crisp edge. Step 9: Now that the planter is finished, its time to plant those cute botanicals! In my case, a pink baby cactus :) I hope you enjoyed this fun DIY as much as me! And hopefully you can DIY in time for Mother’s Day ;)